I was doing some research into Valentine’s Day for this blog post, and I found a treasure trove of information at History.com. Did you know that 188 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular greeting-card-giving occasion?

The website even found the most romantic-sounding U.S. cities. “Looking for love?” the site asks. “Try looking here.” It then lists such cities as Valentine, Texas; Lovelock, Nebraska; and Romeoville, Illinois.

This year, I didn’t spend Valentine’s Day in Romeoville. Nope, I was 270 miles away from Romeoville in a town called Grinnell, the town where my parents live. We had a nice dinner at a fine restaurant. The chef brought out a rose for my mom. We all had prime rib. Afterward, we went home and played card games. That’s right. I was the third wheel at my parents' Valentine’s dinner.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents and enjoy their company very much. I really do. But on Valentine’s Day? The day set aside for two people in love to give each other cards and candy and flowers and say how much they love each other? Really?

Sure, I was reminded of the fact that I’m single last Saturday. But who isn’t? The truth of the matter is that I’m totally fine with that. I trust that God has a plan for my life and that if I’m patient and I do things the way he wants me to do them, he will bless me for it.

You see, I’ve already found fulfillment in life. I have all the love I’ll ever need. If you haven’t found it, stop looking for it in all the wrong places. There’s only one place you can find it, and believe me, it’s no Romeoville.

Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.